1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fuel consumption display apparatus for a crane and, more specifically, to a fuel consumption display apparatus for a crane allowing an operator to operate a crane for reducing fuel consumption.
2. Description of the Related Art
Reducing unnecessary standby time of cranes generally enables to reduce fuel consumption. Standby means here a state where cranes are not operated. More specifically, cranes are not in a state of expanding/contracting or derricking a boom, tilting a jib, causing a winch to perform a winding or lowering operation, revolving a superstructure, extending or retracting outriggers, or the like.
When a power take-off apparatus, which takes off power for driving a hydraulic pump for a crane from an engine, is turned on (in a crane operable mode), fuel is consumed. This is because the hydraulic pump for a crane is driven even when the crane is not operating. There is, in fact, a case where an amount of fuel consumed during standby time accounts for a half of the total in the crane operable mode. This leads to a waste of fuel.
The fuel consumption of cranes significantly varies depending on how to operate them. For example, a velocity does not increase even when an engine RPM is increased in an operation for cylinder contraction such as tilting down or contracting of a boom. Therefore, increasing the engine RPM leads to a further waste of fuel.
Accordingly, it is assumed that providing a fuel consumption display apparatus on a crane allows an operator to operate the crane for reducing fuel consumption.
As an example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-98988 discloses a fuel consumption display apparatus applied to general vehicles or power shovels. However, there is no example that a fuel consumption display apparatus is applied to cranes.
Additionally, it is necessary to confirm an amount of fuel usage with respect to a workload of a crane for evaluating fuel efficiency in crane operation.
However, conventional fuel display apparatuses do not display a workload, thereby leading to failure in evaluating fuel efficiency.
In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a fuel consumption display apparatus for a crane for displaying fuel consumption in a crane operable mode.